1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a densitometry device provided with a density measurement optical system for sequentially reading densities of respective density patterns, using LEDs as light sources, for an object of measurement on which an image is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an image-recording device that records images, compensation is required for color reproduction during image recording. Therefore, when paper used for recording is exchanged (including times when a magazine is exchanged but the type of paper is unchanged), recording of an image based on previously stored pattern data is performed, and recording paper that is output with the results thereof is used as a color patch chart. The pattern data includes a number of gradations of different densities (brightnesses) for each color. A densitometry device is provided at the image-recording device. The densitometry device measures the densities of the patches of each color, which have been recorded with the number of different gradations. During this measurement, the surface of the color patch chart is illuminated with light from a light source such as a halogen lamp, and density measurements are carried out with sequential switching between R, G and B filters. Thus, accurate density values can be obtained.
Density values of the standard pattern data are compared with the measured values. When there is found to be a difference, compensation data is created to compensate for the difference, and this compensation data is entered into a memory or the like at the image-recording device.
Thereafter, when usual image recording is to be carried out, image data that is input is subjected to compensation with the compensation data. Consequently, color reproducibility with respect to image data is always suitably maintained, and reductions of image quality due to color reproduction failures and the like can be prevented.
However, because the halogen lamps and the like that are used as light sources in the aforementioned densitometry devices emit light that is nearly white, a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements must be provided, and optical filters for color separation are required. Furthermore, even if LEDs, which emit monochromatic light, are used, each LED must be packaged separately. Thus, the number of components increases, and the image-recording device becomes larger.